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Marilyn Mazur's Shamania: The Birds Are Early Out
by Ian Patterson
A modern tribe of female voices--ten in all--that thrives on exploring the rhythms of body, voice and instruments. Shamania, founded in 2015 by drummer, percussionist and composer Marilyn Mazur, brought together kindred spirits from Denmark, Norway and Sweden. From the album Rerooting (CYH Records, 2022), The Birds Are Early Out" captures the fearless exploratory spirit of a unique ensemble.Vocalist Josefin Cronholm, alto saxophonist--vocalist Sissel Vera Pettersen, trumpeter Hildegunn Øiseth--who doubles on goat horn--tenor-soprano saxophonist Lotte Anker, trombonist Lis ...
Continue ReadingMarilyn Mazur: The Song in the Woods
by Adriana Carcu
This interview was first published on All About Jazz on August 17, 2015. Danish drummer, percussionist and composer Marilyn Mazur reached iconic status on the contemporary jazz scene in the early years of her career. Playing in the eighties with titans Miles Davis, Wayne Shorter and Gil Evans, she later joined Jan Garbarek's group and was instrumental in some of the musician's most significant projects at the beginning of the millennium. With astounding versatility and a natural sense ...
Continue ReadingRemembering Marilyn Mazur: Percussion Shaman
by Ian Patterson
Marilyn Mazur, the trailblazing Danish drummer, percussionist, composer and bandleader, who enjoyed an extraordinarily varied career, has died at the age of 70. In over fifty years working in jazz and improvised music, Mazur collaborated with Alex Riel, Wayne Shorter, Gil Evans, Charlie Mariano, Jon Balke, Dhafer Youssef, and Jan Garbarek, amongst many others. She holds the distinction of being the only woman ever to play in Miles Davis' band. Mazur was born in New York City in ...
Continue ReadingMarilyn Mazur, Angelika Niescier, Pat Thomas & Tomeka Reid
by Maurice Hogue
There's some great music coming in 2026, so I dropped in a preview tracks of upcoming albums by alto saxophonist Angelika Niescier collaborating with some of Chicago's finest, England's free jazz pianist Pat Thomas with XT (2.5 hours of screamin' free jazz on Strata Act (Joy Contemporary), Chicago's cellist supreme Tomeka Reid & quartet, Flea from the Red Hot Chili Peppers (on trumpet, too), and This Is Wuppertal! from the Trondheim Jazz Orchestra led by the excellent Norwegian bassist Ole ...
Continue ReadingMarilyn Mazur Shamania al Teatro Golden di Palermo. Rassegna Catania Jazz 2024.
by Maurizio Zerbo
Marilyn Mazur Shamania Teatro Golden Palermo 13 novembre 2024 Presentato in prima nazionale a Catania e Palermo, il progetto Shamania sintetizza l'enciclopedismo musicale di Marilyn Mazur che ha mutuato, con coordinate diverse, quanto fatto nel jazz e nel rock da Don Cherry, Miles Davis e Frank Zappa. Sul palco Mazur genera un flusso policentrico fatto di diversità, contaminazioni, spiritualità e potenza rituale. Ne discende una musica ieratica ed ipnotica, che evocando implicitamente la ...
Continue ReadingPalle Mikkelborg / Jakob Bro / Marilyn Mazur: Strands
by Chris May
Like a door that keeps revolving in a half-forgotten dream, or the ripples from a pebble someone tosses in a stream... like a circle in a spiral, like a wheel within a wheel... and so on. There are more déjà vu moments in Strands than Marcel Proust could have waved a madeleine at. Three of the six tracks--"Gefion," Lykaster" and Oktober"--were first heard on guitarist Jakob Bro's ECM debut, Gefion (2015). Five of them--"Lykaster" and Oktober" plus ...
Continue ReadingPalle Mikkelborg / Jakob Bro / Marilyn Mazur: Strands
by Karl Ackermann
Strands brings together three of Denmark's finest artists, in their ancestral home. Palle Mikkelborg and Marilyn Mazur have a substantial history together, as does Jakob Bro but to a lesser extent. Bro penned five of the six compositions, one with Mikkelborg, who also contributed one of his pieces. In a storied career which dates to the '60s, Mikkelborg has recorded as a leader in only five previous projects. Nevertheless, his work with Dexter Gordon, Miles Davis, Gary Peacock, Terje Rypdal, ...
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